The 9th annual Clovies are here.
The Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce is set to hand out its business excellence awards at a gala at Northview Golf and Country Club tonight.
Executive director Scott Wheatley said an important part of the Clovies is its accompanying online auction. The auction opened Nov. 12 and will run until 9:15 p.m. tonight. (There is also a live auction at the venue.)
"We made a big push on it yesterday," said Wheatley, adding that it's a tight window for the auction, but he's found in previous years, 99 per cent of the bids came in in the hours before the auction closed.
"Today is when people start bidding and we'll push it at the event tonight," he added. "You have to register to bid, but people can do it on their phone as 32auctions has an app too."
The auction, formerly an in-person silent auction, was moved online in 2020 because of COVID. At the time, Wheatley wanted to "remove the tactile aspects of a silent auction" for those attending the Clovies that year. But he found the online segment gave people an "opportunity to snag some great items" and it opened up the auction to more bidders.
Wheatley said all proceeds from the auction go to support the Cloverdale Chamber.
“We are non-profit organization and every penny we raise is greatly appreciated.”
Money raised through the Clovies helps fund the Chamber’s programs, business services, and the Cloverdale Rodeo Youth Initiative Foundation, which in turn funds many scholarships in Cloverdale and Surrey.
The Clovies celebrate business success in Clayton, Cloverdale, and Campbell Heights.
Wheatley has more than three dozen items to bid on and the auction can be accessed by visiting 32auctions.com.
